The Best Music Videos of 2017 (So Far!): Grimes, Lady Gaga + More

With June well underway, let's take a moment to appreciate all the incredible music videos artists have graced us with this year (so far!). Just like we did back in 2016, the PopCrush editors rummaged through the dozens and dozens of music videos released between January and June to select our very favorite clips.

From Grimes and Janelle Monae's fierce "Venus Fly," to Betty Who's wonderfully joyful "Some Kinda Wonderful," to Lady Gaga's rollicking, neon-hued "John Wayne," take a look (below) to watch all the music videos we couldn't get enough of in the first half of 2017.

Didn’t see a video you loved on our list this year? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter!

Grimes Ft. Janelle Monae, "Venus Fly"Grimes and Janelle Monae (what a team-up!) are futuristic warriors in the unbelievably fierce video for "Venus Fly," off Art Angels. Directed and edited by the Canadian sound wizard herself, the clip is a seven-minute fantasy of surreal, cinematic cybergoth drama, all dripping with Technicolor opulence. Together, the two ferocious, genre- and boundary-pushing artists achieve a very special kind of sonic and aesthetic alchemy. — Erica Russell

Katy Perry, "Bon Appetit"Katy might be ARTPOP-ing hard during this "Purposeful Pop"-filled Witness era, in the sense that everyone is bandwagoning hard on taking her down, but — much like Gaga's own maligned era — that doesn't mean all of the output is actually all that bad. "Bon Appetit," which admittedly plays like a really good deluxe track and not a second single in a major pop campaign, served up (quite literally!) a scrumptiously sinister visual that might just as well be found in an episode of American Horror Story. Watching Katy getting baked and broiled is a gross delight (probably for her haters as well!), and that cannibalistic switch-up at the very end keeps this album's self-empowerment message going strong. — Bradley Stern

Betty Who, "Some Kinda Wonderful"Laundry day has never had quite this level of appeal. In a limited space, Betty Who, her love interest and some casual laundromat patrons manage to create dueling worlds, each with its own resolved personality, cast of characters and mood. On one hand, she’s a simple face in the crowd after a crush — in the other, she’s the star of a Grease-worthy production, and decked out in a glittery mini-dress that’d send any spin cycle into overdrive. If you thought getting your whites whiter was a chore, think again. — Matthew Donnelly

Bleachers, "Don't Take the Money"
There's something wonderfully charming and nostalgic about Bleachers' hyper-colorful video for "Don't Take the Money." The Lena Dunham-directed visual for the anthemic '80s-inspired pop jam is as over-the-top, deliciously tacky as an Italian-American wedding cake circa 1985. The quirky, bejeweled clip — which features Jack Antonoff getting knocked out at the altar by a Russian spy during a backyard wedding in New Jersey — is an unapologetic celebration of pure suburban melodrama. (Plus, it's got Alia Shawkat in a delightfully silly cameo!) — Erica Russell

Paramore, "Hard Times"Ripped straight from the opening credits of Saved By The Bell, the video for After Laughter’s lead single is as kooky and vibrant as any General Mills cereal box. Complete with digitally electrified clouds, cartoonish spirals and enough neon overlays to light a starless sky, “Hard Times” is as fun as videos get, and succeeds for not taking itself too seriously. In an era of overly stylized “Bad Blood” narratives and the beat-you-over-the-head “Bon Appetit,” it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy. — Matthew Donnelly

BTS, "Spring Day""Not Today" might be the bigger of the bangers from BTS' repackage, You Never Walk Alone, but their "Spring Day" visual is the more beautiful offering. "The song is based on memories with old friends who we don’t see anymore and we wanted to visualize the story in the video blended with additional metaphors," the group told PopCrush earlier this year. Accordingly, the aesthetically pleasing clip with its soft colors and sentimental gestures between the members is a nostalgic affair, showcasing the group's more sensitive side. — Bradley Stern